Scripts and storyboards

Good video in a corporate marketing and communication program requires careful management of a prescription and storyboard. This is a particularly large part of a your time as video becomes more prevalent and required in the digital space.

There is nothing more frustrating than having your audience dropping out of your video after a very short space of time because they disengaged. Thankfully, I can assist to ensure that your video is telling a good story, that it is paced world and it draws people through.

How AI can assist with your scripts

We are going to go back to the text-based generative AI here because they are extremely useful in providing fresh scripts, or even in editing or revising existing scripts that you may have. The key here is to work with the prompts effectively. It’s an extension of the work that we did in the previous module around text-based output.

For this example, I am using Google Bard to illustrate. I prompted it with: “Write a script for a 60-second video which promotes dog food. The video should be in a friendly, happy style, featuring children, dogs, and our product, ABC Dog Treats.”

The output was:

“Scene 1: A group of children are playing fetch with their dogs in a park. The children are laughing and having fun, and the dogs are wagging their tails and chasing after the ball.

Voiceover: ABC Dog Treats are the perfect way to show your furry friend how much you love them. Made with real ingredients and packed with nutrients, ABC Dog Treats will keep your dog healthy and happy.

Scene 2: A close-up of a dog eating an ABC Dog Treat. The dog is clearly enjoying the treat, and its tail is wagging furiously.

Voiceover: ABC Dog Treats are made with real ingredients like chicken, beef, and salmon, so you can be sure your dog is getting the nutrients they need. Plus, they’re delicious and nutritious, so your dog will love eating them.

Scene 3: A group of children are sitting on a bench in the park, petting their dogs and giving them ABC Dog Treats. The children are smiling and the dogs are content.

Voiceover: ABC Dog Treats are the perfect way to show your dog how much you love them. They’re delicious, nutritious, and made with real ingredients. So next time you’re looking for a treat for your furry friend, reach for ABC Dog Treats.

Scene 4: A montage of children and dogs playing together, all of them enjoying ABC Dog Treats.

Voiceover: ABC Dog Treats. For a happy, healthy dog.

On-screen text: ABC Dog Treats. For a happy, healthy dog.

End of video.”

Now, if I was to decide that I wanted a 15-second version, I would change the prompt to:

And I would get back:

“Video:

Scene 1: A close-up of a dog eating an ABC Dog Treat. The dog is clearly enjoying the treat, and its tail is wagging furiously.

Voiceover: ABC Dog Treats. Made with real ingredients, packed with nutrients, and delicious.

Scene 2: A montage of children and dogs playing together, all of them enjoying ABC Dog Treats.

Voiceover: For a happy, healthy dog.

On-screen text: ABC Dog Treats. For a happy, healthy dog.

End of video.”

I would then work on these scripts, amending wording or changing scenes as necessary. I could also further tweak the prompt to ask for outdoor scenes or scenes in a park, zero in on gender or cultural specifics in characters or voiceover, or simply change the style.

How AI can assist with your storyboards

Storyboards are the other important element of video that I can assist with. Where a script is about the text or the voice, the storyboard is about the visual. I’m going to be using StoryboardHero as the platform to showcase how this could work for you (many platforms follow the same process).

This is the start of a storyboard for a school. After briefing the AI…

… I added the frames for the scenes in our school video.

After selecting the style of visual I was looking for:

It produced the storyboard for the first two frames:

And I would continue building from there, but you can see the process that is developing.

The pros of this approach:

• It forces you to think visually, which is at the heart of good, strong video.
• It allows you to work with visuals that are useful in the briefing process.

The cons of this approach:

• Time.
• The limitations of the AI in terms of giving you the visual you want.

Three key tips in terms of what to look for

• Search for a platform that uses the visual styles you want. There is little point using a storyboard that uses watercolour when you are looking for photo realism.
• Use platforms (or software) that allow you to write the script INSIDE the storyboard so you can develop your ideas as the visuals unfold.
• Look for a range of export options – especially those that best showcase your visuals.